PlasticPills - Philosophy & Critical Theory Podcast

Paul Reitter just finished the first translation of Marx's Capital this century. He joins our episode to educate us on why we need a new version, the difficulties of rendering Capital in English, and of course who's mad at him. Watch the interview here (video): https://youtu.be/pG0rQi6JwkUBuy-the-book link: https://amzn.to/3PvOiwcAll public episodes are ad free on patreon at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

This is the big one and it's hard to believe we haven't done this particular essay before, but it's the linchpin for the critical theory use of the term "ideology." Check the patreon feed for the pdf if you want to check the source text, and to listen ad-free: https://www.patreon.com/c/plasticpills

This episode is based on an article Althusser wrote in the 60s, Marxism and Humanism, which you can find in "For Marx." He declares that Marxism and Humanism are fundamentally incompatible, which we all agree on because our liberal was at a conference this week.Get all the eps upon release with no ads at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We read Althusser's "Marxism and Humanism," an Essay from his 1965 collection For Marx in which he declares the two fundamentally incompatible. We didn't make it far into the essay because we were having terminological disputes, but we shall return in finer detail soon.Get all the eps upon release with no ads at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

There's big news on the news, and we thought we would take a poke at interpreting this event—if in fact it is one—and giving it an ideological status. Catch up on the whole series on ideology ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

We have been talking about Althusser once again on the Pod, and in advance of our new dive we are re-releasing an episode about why Althusser might be important.

The conversation humorously navigates the complexities of First Amendment rights, blending personal anecdotes with political commentary. They tackle anxieties over quitting nicotine alongside the implications of recent election results, expressing skepticism towards both major parties. Misconceptions about political figures and the influence of donors are critically examined. The speakers challenge prevailing narratives around voting patterns, advocate for a populist shift in politics, and reflect on the entertainment aspect of modern political dynamics.

Slavoj Žižek, a Slovenian philosopher renowned for his Hegelian and Lacanian insights, joins influential theorist Nick Land, known for his ideas on accelerationism. They explore contemporary political futures, highlighting how various movements—from the optimistic radical democracies to the unsettling Christofascists—share a common trait: their extreme optimism seems implausible. The discussion also tackles the post-political singularity concept, questioning its impact on society and how it intersects with social media and the evolving landscape of ideologies.

In 1933, Bataille linked Durkheim's sociology and psychoanalysis to the rise of fascism over the border. The parallels to the present moment are hard to miss.Get the full episode and many more at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills

MAGA Communism may strike you as contradictory and stupid sounding, but it is backed by 200 tweets of theory which include Marx, Lenin, Dugin, and Heidegger. We plunge the depths of the MAGA Communist tractatus: "MARXISM IS NOT WOKE" to explore its theoretical aspirations.Source text: https://x.com/InfraHaz/status/1672279505774448640Find our recent episodes on fascist philosophy ad-free at https://www.patreon.com/plasticpills